My Soul Dreams
by JessAngelus
Summary: Buffy and Dean were together until the day she dove off the tower to save her sister. 6 years later Dean Winchester crawls out of his grave, and begins to dream of his lost love. Is she trying to tell him something? Buffy/Dean AUTHOR'S NOTE!
1. Chapter 1

My Soul Dreams

Btvs/Supernatural crossover

Summary: Buffy and Dean were together until the day she dove off the tower to save her sister. 6 years later Dean Winchester crawls out of his grave, and begins to dream of his lost love. Is she trying to tell him something? And how is she connected to the looming apocalypse?

Pairing: Buffy/Dean. It's all I seem to write these days. Not gonna complain.

Raiting: Meh I don't know. We'll say R for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own em'. Don't sue.

AN: I've had this sitting in my computer for a bit and decided to unleash it onto the world. If people like it, I'll continue it. And no worries, I'm still working on my other B/D fics!

…

_Dean walked into the house, tossing his jacket over the back of the sofa, before walking into the kitchen. "Hey, Princess." Dean greeted, sliding his hands around her waist, hugging her from behind._

"_Hey." She said, turning her head slightly to kiss his cheek. "What do you want for dinner tonight? Pizza? Chinese?" She turned in his embrace, facing him now._

"_How about… Buffy." He replied with a leer. _

_Her expression turned serious, almost fearful. "You have to find me, Dean." Buffy said seriously._

_Dean looked at her, clearly confused. "What?"_

"_Please. They're pulling me back in. You have to find me!" She pleaded. "If they find me first, they'll make me stay with them."_

"_Baby, what are you talking about?" Dean asked desperately trying to get her to calm down._

"_They're making me come back! If you don't find me, I have to stay with them. You have to find me first. You have to! They won't know what they've done." Buffy was sobbing now. _

_Dean pulled her close, running a hand through her hair, soothingly. "Baby, I'll find you." He whispered. "I'll always find you."_

_She pulled away to look at him. "Please. You have to find me first. I wanna be with you. If they find me first I have to stay with them even though it's not my place anymore. Please, Dean." She begged._

_Buffy began to fade right before his eyes. "Buffy!"_

"_Dean! Please, Dean! Dean!"_

"Dean!" Sam's voice pulled Dean from his dream. Dean shot up, nearly colliding with Sam, who was leaning over him.

"Dean? Are you okay?" Sam asked, concern creasing his features.

Dean shook his head, trying to clear it. "What?" He asked groggily.

"You were screaming, Dean. What the hell were you dreaming about?"

Dean's face grew hard as the dream came back to him. He stood up, reaching next to the bed and grabbing his bag. "Pack it up, Sam. We gotta go." Dean said shortly.

"What?" Sam asked, confused by his brother's sudden behavior. "Where are we going?"

"Sunnydale."

…

10 minutes later, they were in the Impala, Dean slamming on the accelerator and peeling out of the parking lot.

"So, why are we going to Sunnydale all of a sudden?" Sam asked a few minutes later.

"Something I need to check on." Dean said his eyes focused on the road.

"Sunnydale, that's in California, right?"

"M'hmm."

"So you jump out of bed after screaming in your sleep about someone named Buffy, and now you're driving like a bat out of hell towards Sunnydale. You're leaving out a lot here, Dean." Sam said, sounding a bit irritated. "Who's Buffy?"

Dean clenched his jaw. He'd never told Sam about her. He couldn't… the pain had been too raw. Hell, it was still too raw and it had been over 6 damn years. But now… if what he suspected was about to go down… he was gonna need Sam's help.

Dean swallowed and took a deep breath. "Buffy was… she was my fiancée, 6 years ago." Dean said quietly.

Sam's eyebrows shot to his hairline. "What?"

Dean cleared his throat. "Yeah." He shot a sidelong glance at Sam. "What? You think I didn't have a life while you were at Stanford?"

"No it's not that, it's just I didn't really peg you for the marrying type."

"Yeah well… she was different. She made me… made me want all those stupid apple pie life things that we both knew we'd never get. But hell, we tried." Dean said bitterly.

"Well, what happened?" Sam asked, still in shock at Dean's confession.

"She died, that's what happened." Dean snapped, trying and failing to reign in his emotions. This was why he never talked about her.

"Dean…"Sam began his voice soft.

"A week after I asked her to marry me… she took a swan dive off a tower, 6 stories up." Dean ground out.

"She killed herself?" Sam asked, horrified.

"Not so much. I mean in a sense yeah, but she had a reason. A non-suicidal type reason, I mean." Dean ran a hand through his hair. "Buffy was the Slayer, Sam. There was a thing with some hell bitch. She used Buffy's sister's blood to tear thorough the fabric between dimensions so she could go back to where she came from. Only way to stop it was for her sister to die. Buffy couldn't let that happen. So she took her place."

Sam was speechless and that was fine with Dean. He wasn't sure he could handle playing 20 questions with Sam much longer.

Luck was clearly not on Dean's side because after 10 minutes, Sam seemed to regain his voice.

"Why are we going to Sunnydale, Dean?" Sam asked his voice low and cautious.

"Because I think somebody might be trying to resurrect her."

That hadn't been was Sam was expecting, not that he really knew what he was expecting in the first place. "How do you know?"

"I _don't_ know. But I had a dream about her. She was scared Sam… I've never had a dream like that about her before in my life, and believe me I've had A LOT of dreams about her. So I gotta make sure." Dean said, pressing harder on the accelerator.

"So… what are we there to do, Dean? Stop it or make sure it happens?" Sam asked, watching Dean closely.

"Stop it." Dean said quietly.

"Why would you wanna do that? I mean, don't you want her back?"

"Of course I want her back!" Dean shouted. "Not a damn day goes by that I don't want her back! But I don't want anyone messin' with her. She's not in hell, Sam! She was saying someone or something was pulling her back in, and she was terrified." Dean exhaled harshly. "And if I find out it's that bastard Castiel doing this shit, I swear I'll cut his angelic head off."

"Well, Dean, you said yourself, it was just a dream. You don't actually know if that's what's going on." Sam pointed out.

"I felt her, Sam. In the dream, I could feel her in ways I haven't been able to in years. I don't think it was just a dream." Dean said seriously.

…..

They got into Sunnydale a few hours after nightfall. Dean went immediately to the cemetery she was buried in.

What he found when he went to her grave made all the color drain from his face. "Sam."

"Oh my god." Sam said.

There were ashes and melted candles and a broken urn, a tell tale sign of a ritual only a few feet from her grave. A grave that had a distinct hole in it surrounded by displaced soil.

Dean fisted his hands in his hair, letting out an anguished yell. Then he spun around and looked at Sam, fear, anger, and determination shining in his eyes. "We need to find her."

Sam and Dean wandered the streets for ten minutes before they heard a scuffle in a nearby alley.

Dean raced towards the sound. As he rounded the corner he saw a large scaly green demon, closing in on a small figure in black, huddled against a wall. Before Dean could blink, the figure lashed out at the demon, knocking it back several feet.

Dean raised his shot gun and fired two shots into the back of the demon's head, watching as it crumpled to the ground.

Dean raised his head and came face to face with the one woman he'd never stopped loving and had never imagined he's see again. "Buffy."

Buffy stumbled back, clinging to the wall behind her, clearly afraid.

"Hey, hey, sweetheart. I'm not going to hurt you." He said soothingly, moving slowly towards her. He heard Sam come into the alley but gestured subtly for him to stay back. "Hey, it's ok Buffy. It's me. It's Dean. You know me, princess." Dean swallowed, tears threatening to choke him.

"D-Dean?" Buffy stuttered out, hesitantly, her voice raw and unused.

"Yeah, Dean. You remember me."

Buffy let out a sob as Dean got closer. "Dean…" She whimpered.

That was all Dean needed. He rushed forward the rest of the way, scooping her up into his arms, holding her tightly. "Shh, baby, it's ok." He soothed.

"Dean." Sam said quietly, hoping he didn't startle the girl in his brother's arms. "Someone's coming."

Dean listened for a moment before gesturing for Sam to come deeper into the alley way, and the three of them hid behind a large dumpster. Dean frowned as he recognized not only the voices of the people who spoke, but that they were talking about Buffy.

"I know the spell would have worked!" Willow insisted. "I felt it. If that demon hadn't come and smashed the urn, we'd have Buffy back."

"M-Maybe it wasn't meant to work." Tara's soft voice could be heard saying. "I mean, think about it, that demon showing up at the exact wrong time…"

"But Tara we've been waiting for so long to be able to do this…it's been years just trying to get everything together… and now it's just….gone." Willow lamented.

"Come on; let's just find this demon so we can call it a night." A male's voice said that Dean was pretty sure was Xander.

Dean let out a breath and the passed the alley without incident. Buffy had remained still and quiet in his arms while they hid, just watching him with wide eyes. "Let's go, Sam." Dean whispered.

They crept out of the alley, making sure they weren't spotted.

Dean placed Buffy gently in the back seat of the Impala, before climbing into the driver's side and driving away.

A few minutes later, Dean stopped at a motel. Sam climbed out of the car and went to book a room. He came back a few minutes later and handed Dean the key.

Dean carried Buffy into the motel room before turning to Sam who was still standing in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"I'm gonna give you guys a few minutes. You can get her cleaned up and stuff. I'll go grab some food." Sam said.

Dean nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

"But Dean… I hate to say this… but you need to test her." Sam said seriously, flinching at the look of anger that instantly appeared on Dean's face. "I'm not saying she's a demon. All I'm saying is we don't know what they did to bring her back. We need to be sure." Sam hastily explained.

Dean sighed, knowing Sam was right. "Yeah... I'll take care of it."

Sam nodded. "Alright." And he left the room.

Dean knelt at the foot of the bed where Buffy sat. He glanced down at her hands, seeing blood. "Hey princess, lemme see your hands." Dean said softly, knowing from personal experience the cause of those wounds. Dean sighed as he pulled out a small bottle of holy water. This would probably be easier that splashing some in her face.

Dean poured some of the holy water over her bloodied knuckles, sighing in relief when there was no reaction. "Christo." He muttered, just to be sure. Again, no reaction.

"How about we go get cleaned up, and then I'll bandage your hands. Sound good?" Dean suggested.

Buffy nodded. Dean placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her into the small bathroom. He helped her remove her clothes and started the shower, letting it warm up. He helped her into the tub, but didn't join her, not wanting her to feel crowded or overwhelmed.

He handed her a bar of soap and some shampoo from his bag, then leaned back against the sink. Dean leaned his head back against the mirror, finally allowing himself to take a moment to let the events of the night sink in.

Buffy was alive.

She'd come back from the dead, just like he had; only he was fairly certain she hadn't been in hell.

Dean was furious at what her friends had done. He was glad there hadn't been a confrontation because he wasn't sure what he would have done to Willow. _Stupid witch! Can't leave anything alone!_

Even as his thoughts raged, he couldn't help the underlying joy and relief that was flowing through him at the thought of having her back in his life. She wasn't staying in Sunnydale. That was for damn sure. The things Buffy had said to him in the dream had begun to make a lot more sense. If her friends had found her first, they would have dragged her back home, back to the life and responsibilities and duties she'd already fulfilled. She'd wanted him to find her instead. She'd said she wanted to be with him. That thought warmed him to his core.

Dean heard the water shut off and quickly grabbed a towel for Buffy. He pulled back the curtain and wrapped her in the towel, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Come on."

They exited the bathroom and Buffy sat on the edge of the bed while Dean retrieved one of his shirts for her to wear.

He buttoned the buttons on the shirt for her, her torn knuckles making the job difficult for her to do on her own.

He grabbed some antiseptic and bandages and knelt in front of her again, taking her hands gently in his own. "You wanna know something, Princess? I got a set of these myself." He said, showing her his own healing knuckles. Hers were admittedly much worse than the ones he'd suffered, because she'd had to break out of an actual, solid casket. He'd only had to deal with a pine box.

"H-how? You… you died too?" Buffy looked horrified.

Dean nodded, bandaging her fingers. "I wasn't gone nearly as long as you though. And I doubt we went to the same place." Dean said with a grimace. He wasn't sure why he was telling her this. He hadn't talked about hell to anyone. Then again, Buffy had never been just anyone.

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

Dean sighed. "I made a deal with a demon to save Sam's life. As payment, my soul had to go to hell." He looked up into her now damp eyes. "But it's okay. You don't need to get upset about it. I'm back now and I'm not going anywhere."

Buffy still looked crushed. Dean got up onto the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her. "I did what I had to do, Princess. Just like you did for Dawn."

Buffy nodded in understanding. "How did you get out?"

Dean chuckled a little. "An angel pulled me out, if you can believe that."

Buffy started violently. "That was _you_?" Buffy asked, clearly alarmed.

Dean's brow furrowed. "What?"

"I… I was in heaven, Dean. While I was there I kept hearing some of the really powerful angels talking about having to pull a man from perdition. I had no idea that was you…" Buffy trailed off.

"So it's real then." Dean stated.

Buffy nodded. "It's real."

Dean looked up as he heard a knock on the door. "Sam?" Dean asked, just to be sure, in case they had been followed by one of Buffy's so called friends.

"Yeah."

Dean pulled the door open and Sam entered the room, arms laden with fast food bags. Dean looked over at Buffy, noticing the sudden tension in her body. He moved back to her side.

"Baby, this is Sam." Dean said.

Buffy smiled slightly at the tall man.

Sam nodded at her. "Hey."

"You hungry?" Dean asked her.

Buffy shook her head.

"Will you eat a little bit anyway?"

After a moment, Buffy nodded, accepting the burger Sam held out to her.

After they'd eaten, Dean and Buffy got into bed, Dean curling protectively around her. That night Dean said a silent prayer that all this wasn't just a dream.

…..

Like it? Hate it? Let me know. I have like another 3 chapters written. If people are into it, I'll post more.


	2. Chapter 2

My Soul Dreams

Btvs/Supernatural crossover

Summary: Buffy and Dean were together until the day she dove off the tower to save her sister. 6 years later Dean Winchester crawls out of his grave, and begins to dream of his lost love. Is she trying to tell him something? And how is she connected to the looming apocalypse?

Pairing: Buffy/Dean. It's all I seem to write these days. Not gonna complain.

Raiting: Meh I don't know. We'll say R for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own em'. Don't sue.

…..

The next evening, they returned to Bobby's. For the second time in less than two weeks, Bobby opened the door and looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Bobby glared at Dean. "What the hell is this, Dean?" He demanded.

"Bobby… look it's her, alright. I already checked her." Dean said tiredly, as he, Sam, and Buffy stepped into the house.

"What the hell did you do, boy?" Bobby growled.

"Seriously?" Dean snapped. "You think after everything that's gone down recently, that I'd do something like this?"

Bobby deflated a bit. "So what happened?"

"You know as much fun as it is being talked about like I'm not here, I think I'm gonna go back outside." Buffy spoke up, before exiting the house.

"Shit." Dean swore.

Bobby looked sheepish.

"It was her friend, Willow. You know, the witch. I had a dream about Buffy a couple nights ago. It felt like she was trying to tell me something, so I went to Sunnydale to check it out. And I found her, freaked out, but alive." Dean explained. "I'm gonna go check on her."

Dean walked outside and saw Buffy sitting on the hood of the Impala. "Hey."

Buffy looked at him but didn't say anything.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. Bobby's had a rough couple of weeks. We all have really. What with me coming back, then we had spirits ripping hunters to shreds a few days ago. Things are kinda crazy. And well he's getting old. Doesn't quite roll with the punches as easily as he used to."

Buffy cracked a small smile.

"There we go." Dean said victoriously. "I got a smile."

Buffy and Dean felt a rush of wind and looked around. Castiel was standing next to the Impala.

"Castiel." Dean said flatly.

"Hello Dean, Buffy."

Buffy glanced at Dean. "So this is the angel, huh?"

"Yeah, in the holy tax accountant flesh."

"We _have_ met, Buffy." Castiel said. "Your resurrection was unexpected, to say the least. A warrior pulled from heaven has never occurred before. However, it is not entirely unfortunate. Your help will be needed to stop what's to come."

"Wait, your saying Buffy's apart of all this apocalypse crap?"

"Great, because I totally haven't done enough of that. This will be my what? 6th apocalypse? That's not even counting the Mayor's ascension." Buffy groaned.

"This isn't an apocalypse like the ones you have faced. This is The Apocalypse, Buffy." Castile said.

"You mean like biblical apocalypse, Apocalypse? Four Horseman, war between heaven and hell, apocalypse?" Buffy asked, incredulously

"That's what I asked." Dean muttered.

"Yes. I believe you may be vital to preventing it. At the very least, your help will be of great value to Dean." Castiel answered.

"Well then I guess that's good enough for me." Buffy said, honestly.

She wasn't having the easiest time being back, but Dean's presence was like a balm to her soul. She knew in her heart that if she had still been in heaven and heard that Dean needed her, she would have found a way to come back on her own anyway. She had a purposed for being back now, and she felt the pieces of herself that had been lost since her return the day before, begin to fall back into place.

Castiel looked at Buffy curiously. _"Can you hear me, Buffy?"_

Dean shrieked, clamping his hands over his ears as the windows on the nearby rattled threateningly.

"Why wouldn't I hear you?" Buffy asked, looking at Castiel strangely. She turned to Dean in alarm. "Dean what's wrong?"

Dean slowly pulled his hands from his ears. "What the fuck, man?" Dean demanded. "I thought we talked about turning down the volume on the voice of yours. We established it doesn't work for me."

"That wasn't for you, Dean. My apologies." Castiel said.

"What's he talking about?" Buffy asked, watching Castiel warily.

"That was a test, Buffy. I needed to confirm my suspicions. Like I told Dean, there are a few humans who are able to hear and understand an angel's true voice. I had initially assumed Dean was one of those people. He is not, but you are."

"Well I guess I was around you guys for so long I picked up the language." Buffy quipped.

"I suppose."

"Well thanks for wrecking my ear drums for your little experiment." Dean said dryly.

Dean and Buffy glanced around, but Cas had vanished.

….

A couple of hours later, Dean sat in the dark living room waiting for Buffy to get out of the shower. They'd stopped and got her some clothes on the way to Bobby's. He glanced down briefly at Sam, asleep on the floor, and absently wondered what he thought of Buffy. He hadn't really had a chance to ask.

He looked up as he heard Buffy exit the bathroom.

"Hi." She said quietly.

"Hey beautiful." Dean said, moving over so she could join him on the couch. "You okay?" He asked as she sat down next to him. She seemed slightly nervous.

Buffy nodded, fidgeting with her hands in her lap.

Dean looked down at her hands and his breath caught in his throat. The wounds from the night before were completely healed, but that wasn't what shocked him. There on the ring finger of her left hand… was his ring. The one he had given her a week before her death. He hadn't seen it on her when he found her and hadn't wanted to ask her where it was.

"I had to take it off… when I was… when I was trying to get out. I didn't want it to get messed up." She said quietly. "And then I couldn't put it back on because of my hands…" She looked at Dean shyly.

Dean didn't know what to say. It had been six years since he'd been with her, but the sight of her wearing that ring made it seem like no time had passed at all.

Buffy grew more nervous at his silence. Maybe wearing the ring before talking to him about it had been a bad idea. "I-I can take it off… if you…"

Dean quickly silenced her with his lips on hers, pouring everything he felt for her into that kiss. His love, desperation, pain, and happiness all flowed into her, letting her know better than words ever could how he felt.

"Don't ever take it off." Dean told her. "I… I don't know when… with everything that's been going on and this apocalypse hanging over our heads, but I am going to marry you. Someday. I promise."

Buffy smiled, her hand coming up to wipe at his cheek. Dean hadn't even realized he'd been crying. "We just gotta make it till then." She said simply then placed a soft kiss on his lips.

She laid back on the couch, pulling Dean with her. He pulled the blanket up around them, and they drifted off the sleep.

….

Reviews inspire!


	3. Chapter 3

My Soul Dreams

Thanks people who review! Love ya a bunch!

This chapter is based off the Episode Metamorphosis. Lines from the show are not mine.

…..

Sam looked at Dean and Buffy curled up on the motel bed. He smiled slightly. Dean had been different since they found her. It was like Dean had been missing a piece of himself these past few years and Sam didn't have a clue. But Dean seemed to have gotten that piece back now in the form of the small blond slayer.

Careful not to make any noise, Sam slipped from the room.

Dean shifted in his sleep, a second later his eyes shot open.

"Hello Dean." Castiel said, standing at the edge of the bed. "What were you dreaming about?"

"You get your freak on by watching other people sleep?" Dean asked, his voice low, trying not to wake Buffy. "What do you want?" He looked down at Buffy as she shifted slightly as he sat up.

"Don't worry, she won't wake up. I'm making her stay asleep for now." Castiel said. "Listen to me. You have to stop it."

"Stop what?" Dean asked.

Castiel placed two fingers and Dean's forehead and there was a flash of light then Dean was gone.

Castiel stood there for a moment, simply watching Buffy sleep. He walked to her side of the bed and bent down, whispering in her ear. "I have a message for you. When it is time, you will know." He placed his fingers on her head, placing the message into the recesses of her mind. Castiel only hoped it never came to the point where the message would reveal itself, because if it did, that would mean Dean failed.

….

Dean drove down the road after his conversation with Mary. Suddenly Castiel was in the seat next to him. "So what, God's my copilot? Is that it?"

Castiel just looked at him.

"Well you're a regular Chatty Cathy." Dean said dryly. "Tell me something. Sam would have wanted in on this. Why not bring him back?"

"You had to do this alone Dean."

"And you don't care that him and Buffy are tearing up the future right now, looking for me?"

"Sam's not looking for you, Dean. And Buffy is still in her stasis state as she will remain until you return. But I let her know that you are safe."

"If I do this, then the family curse breaks right?" Dean asked. "Mom and Dad live happily ever after and Sam and I grow up playing little league and chasin tail?"

"You realize that if you alter the future, that your father, you, Sam, you'll never become hunters. And all those people you saved, they'll die."

"I realize."

"And you don't care?"

"I care, I care a lot. But these are my parents. I'm not gonna let them die again. I can't. Not if I can stop it." Dean said, his voice tired but determined.

"And what about Buffy?" Castiel asked.

Dean's face fell. "Buffy… I'll find her. She'll still be the slayer. I'll find her, somehow. I have to."

Dean glanced at Castiel again, but he was gone.

….

Dean's eyes snapped open, once again on his bed, next to Buffy.

Castiel stood on the other side of the room.

"I couldn't stop any of it. She still made the deal." Dean said, his voice rough. "She still died in the nursery, didn't she?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You couldn't have stopped it." Castile said, continuing to stare off at something Dean couldn't see.

"What?"

"Destiny can't be changed, Dean." He said simply. Castiel finally turned to Dean. "All roads lead to the same destination."

"Then why'd you send me back?" Dean asked, feeling crushed.

"For the truth. Now you know everything we do."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean demanded.

The angel looked pointedly at Sam's empty bed.

"Where's Sam?" Dean asked, his concern growing.

"We know what Azazel did to your brother. What we don't know is why, what his end game is. He went to great lengths to cover that up." Castiel looked past Dean, at Buffy, finally allowing her to wake up.

Buffy seemed to instinctively know something was going on, and was fully awake and alert and on her feet within seconds.

Dean glanced at her before turning back to Castiel. "Where's Sam?" Dean demanded again.

"425 Waterman." He answered.

Dean didn't need to say a word to Buffy, she had already grabbed her jacket and walked to the door.

"Your brother is headed down a dangerous road, Dean. And we're not sure where it leads. So stop it, or we will." Castiel said seriously.

Dean stared at Castiel as the meaning of his words sunk it, then he hastily exited the room, handing Buffy a loaded gun as she followed.

….

Dean drove towards the address Castiel had given him. He glanced at Buffy after a few minutes.

"How come you're not asking me a hundred questions right now?" He asked.

"Somehow… I think I already know what's going on." Buffy said, looking at bit confused.

"Huh?" Dean asked, bewildered.

"I think Cas told me while I was sleeping. I know he sent you back in time or something to learn the truth about what happened with your family. I don't know the details but that's what happened isn't it?"

Dean nodded.

"And now we have to find your brother because he's doing something the angels don't like and get him to stop." Buffy summarized.

"Got it in one."

"This is going to get worse before it gets better, Dean." Buffy said seriously.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, looking at her.

"It's just a feeling in my gut. This is a lot worse than we know."

Buffy and Dean got out of the car, and hid by the entrance to the warehouse Sam was in with a brunette woman and a man, clearly a demon, tied to a chair. They watched in silence as Sam interrogated the demon, their eyes widened as they heard the demon refer to the woman with Sam as a demon as well.

"Tell me about those months without your brother. About all the things you and this demon bitch do in the dark. Huh? Tell me hero." The demon told Sam mockingly.

Dean and Buffy watched as Sam stretched out his hand toward the demon and it began to expel itself out if the mouth of its meatsuit. The floor sizzled as the demon was sent to hell.

Buffy and Dean exchanged disturbed looks, their expressions dark.

Sam checked the previously possessed man's pulse and smiled.

"How'd that feel?" Ruby asked.

"Good." Sam said. "No more headaches." Sam untied the man.

The man woke up, looking around, confused.

"It's okay. I got you." Sam said, helping him out of the chair.

Dean and Buffy entered the warehouse. Sam looked up, letting go of the man, his eyes widening as he took in the look of fury on Dean's face. Buffy stood slightly behind him, her arms crossed and her expression unreadable.

"So… anything you wanna tell me, Sam?" Dean asked, his voice sharp and accusing.

"Dean, hold on, okay? Just let-"

"You gonna say 'Let me explain'? You can explain this?" Dean shook his head in disbelief. "What about this? Why don't you start with who _she_ is," Dean gestured to Ruby. "and what the hell is she doing here?"

Sam looked over his shoulder at the brunette. The woman looked at Dean.

"It's good to see you again." She said.

"Ruby?" Dean asked incredulously. "Is that Ruby?" He directed the question at Sam.

Sam said nothing, staring at his brother.

Dean nodded and smirked at Ruby. Buffy watched Dean closely, seeing his shoulder tense like a coiled spring, Buffy clutched the handle of her gun.

Dean pounded, slamming Ruby up against the metal cage behind her, taking out the demon killing blade and aiming it at her chest. Sam pulled Dean off, managing the wrestle the blade from his brother's grip. Dean shoved Sam away from him into a metal rack.

Ruby grabbed Dean, shoving him against the cage, gripping him by the throat. Buffy grabbed Ruby by the back of the neck, pulling her away from Dean and hurling her into a wall.

"Who the hell are you?" Ruby demanded.

"Someone who has no problem with killing your skanky ass." Buffy snapped leveling her gun at Ruby.

"Buffy wait!" Sam protested.

"Why the hell should she?" Dean demanded.

"Ruby." Sam spoke. "He's hurt." He said, gesturing to the previously possessed man. "Go."

Ruby walked over to him, slinging her arm over her shoulder.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Dean demanded.

"To the ER. Unless you and your bitch wanna go another round first." Ruby said, looking between Dean and Buffy.

They just glared at her and Ruby escorted the man out.

Dean looked over at Sam, his eyes holding a look of betrayal.

"Dean…" Sam began.

Dean pushed off the cage and walked towards the door, grabbing Buffy's hand as he passed her and they walked out of the warehouse.

They got in the Impala and Dean drove away, pulling into the parking lot of a store a few blocks down. He killed the engine, leaning his head back against the seat.

"Son of a bitch." Dean muttered.

Buffy watched him sadly, her heart aching from the lost look on his face.

"You were right." He said after they sat in silence for a few minutes. "It is gonna get worse."

Buffy didn't say anything.

"Can I ask you something?" Dean asked hesitantly.

"Shoot."

"You can sense demons and stuff right? With you slayer sense and stuff. Did Sam… back there, did he feel human to you?" Dean choked out almost afraid to know the answer.

"Yes." Buffy said honestly. "He didn't set off my demon radar. I sensed Ruby from the start though."

Dean let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. So his brother was still human, for the most part at least. That was something.

"He lied to me, Buffy. He fucking looked me in the eye and lied to me!" Dean shouted, clenching his fists. "How the hell could he do something like this?"

"I don't know, Dean. But we have to stop him." Buffy said quietly.

"I know."

Buffy shifted closer to him, taking one of his hands in hers. "We're gonna get through this. I don't know how but we will. We always do."

"Yeah we do, but this time it's Sam… and I know what he's doing is gonna get so much worse until it consumes him. My dad told me a couple years ago… that if I couldn't save Sam… that I'd have to kill him. I don't want it to ever get to that point, but Sam doesn't seem to wanna make that easy." Dean confessed, his voice hoarse.

Buffy didn't respond. She just pulled Dean into her arms, his head pillowed on her breast. She ran her fingers through his hair soothingly, offering what comfort she could.

Dean let his eyes fall shut. Her arms were the one place he could let go, even for a moment, and just let her support him. He took slow, deep breaths, taking in her scent. He'd always loved the way she smelled, like vanilla and strawberries.

"I love you." He heard her whisper, and he lifted his head from her breasts, looking into her eyes.

"I love you too." He said. "And I'm sorry, but… I can't help but be so damn glad you're back."

Buffy smiled slightly. "No worries. I'm starting to get that way too."

Anything else Buffy might have said flew from her mind because in the next second Dean was kissing her. His tongue pressed against the seam of her lips, and she parted them, letting him in. One of Dean's hands tangled in her hair while the other slid up the back of her shirt, caressing the warm, smooth skin of her back.

Dean's kisses grew more passionate, almost desperate, as he pressed her back into the seat beneath him. He moved his lips to her jaw, working his way down her neck, stopping to suck on the skin where her neck and collarbone met. He maneuvered himself between her legs, grinding his jean clad erection into her.

"Dean!" Buffy gasped out as she moaned, her hands rubbing up and down his back.

Dean suddenly stilled, before pushing himself up off of her and sitting up. He let out a shuddering breath, running a hand over his face.

"Dean?" Buffy asked hesitantly, not knowing what was going on.

Dean looked over at her, giving her a tight smile when he saw the confused look on her face. "Sorry." He said.

"D-did I do something?" Buffy asked, fixing her mussed hair self-consciously.

Dean blinked in surprise. "No baby. You didn't do anything." He reached over and pulled Buffy against his side. "It's just… as much as I need you right now, I'm not about to make love to you for the first time in over 6 damn years, when I know that in the back of my mind I'm gonna be thinkin' about all this crap with Sam."

Buffy nodded in understanding. "Yeah I definitely don't want you to be thinking about Sam during _that_." Buffy agreed.

Dean shook his head and sighed, his erection finally fading. Dean started the car. "I think I wanna get out of here. I don't think I can deal with Sam right now."

"Okay." Buffy said, sliding back in her spot.

"We can find a case somewhere, hopefully a few states away. Sam's got demon bitch to look after him." Dean said bitterly, driving out of the parking lot.

"Dean…"

"Just leave it Buffy. Sam knows what he's doing, and he knows how I feel about it. He's been keeping it from me on purpose." Dean snapped, all of his previous anger returning.

Buffy wasn't offended by his angry tone. She knew it wasn't directed at her and he had every right to be seriously pissed off.

Dean parked the car in front of their motel.

"Let's just get our stuff and get going." Dean said, getting out.

"How about you grab our stuff and I'll wait here." Buffy suggested, leaning against the Impala. "I'm sure you and Sam could use a minute."

"Not really, but sure, whatever." And he stalked off up the stairs and into the motel room.

Dean swung open the door, deliberately ignoring Sam, and grabbing his and Buffy's bags off the floor, dropping them on to the bed.

He opened the small wardrobe and pulled out their clothes, quickly stuffing them into the bags.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Sam asked, running a hand through his hair.

Dean didn't answer, just finished packing up, zipping the bags closed.

"What, you...y-you're leaving?"

"You don't need me. You and Ruby go fight demons." Dean said, his tone emotionless.

"Where's Buffy?"

"Waiting in the car." Dean answered flatly.

He grabbed their bags and headed for the door.

"Hold on. Dean, come on man." Sam said, grabbing Dean's arm.

Dean spun around and punched Sam in the face, glaring at him.

Sam straightened back up, his lip bleeding slightly. "Satisfied?"

Dean threw the bags to the ground, punching Sam again.

"Guess not." Sam said, wiping at his lip.

"Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone? How far from normal, from _human_?" Dean demanded.

"I'm just exorcising demons."

"With your mind!" Dean shouted. "What else can you do?" he demanded.

"I can send them back to hell." Sam answered. "It only works with demons and that's it."

Dean grabbed Sam by the front of his shirt shoving him backwards. "What else can you do?" He growled.

"I told you!" Sam protested.

Dean let go. "And I have every reason in the world to believe that." Dean turned, walking back towards the door.

"Look, I should have said something. I'm sorry, Dean, I am. But try to see the other side here."

"The other side?" Dean snapped.

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people." Sam defended.

"Use the knife!"

"The knife kills the victims! The way I do it, most of them survive!" Sam exclaimed. "I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year."

Dean lifted his eyebrows, giving Sam a dubious look. "That what Ruby wants you to think? That the way she tricked you into using your powers?" Dean shook his head. "Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see, because it's going to get darker and darker and god knows where it ends."

"I'm not gonna let it go too far." Sam said.

Dean nodded, before lashing out with his arm, knocking a lamp to the ground, shattering it. "It's already gone too far, Sam." Dean looked his brother in the eye. "If I didn't know you, I would wanna hunt you. And so would other hunters."

Sam swallowed, his eyes glassy. "Does Buffy want to hunt me?"

"No." Dean said flatly.

"You were gone, Dean. And I was here. I had to keep on fighting without you. And what I'm doing, it works." Sam said.

"Well tell me, if it's so terrific, then why'd you lie about it to me?" Dean asked, his face hard. "Why did an angel tell me to stop you?"

"What?" Sam asked, his eyes wide.

"Cas said that if I don't stop you, he will." Dean said seriously. "So what that means Sam, that means that _God_ doesn't want you doing this. So are you just gonna stand there and tell me that everything is all good?" Dean stared into Sam's kicked puppy expression, having no idea what to do.

Sam's phone rang.

Dean fought back his tremulous emotions as Sam spoke on the phone.

Sam looked at Dean as he hung up the phone. "We got a case." Sam said hesitantly.

Dean sighed. "Alright, pack up."

Dean walked outside and saw Buffy. She was sitting in the Impala, AC/DC Back in Black blaring from the speakers. Dean watched as she sang along, head bobbing to the beat, and couldn't help but smile. It was amazing to him how no matter how shitty he was feeling, she could bring a smile to his face without even trying.

He walked over to the car and leaned in the open window, placing a kiss on her temple.

She turned down the music and smiled at him. "What was that for?"

Dean shrugged. "Nothin'."

"So what are we doing?" She asked.

Dean rolled his shoulders trying to remove some of the tension in them. "Sam got a call. We got a case in Missouri."

Buffy just lifted an eyebrow.

"Don't say it. Just because I'm not peelin outta here and leavin his ass doesn't mean you were right when you let me walk in there alone." Dean said, rolling his eyes.

Buffy giggled, jumping out of the passenger seat and moving to the back when she saw Sam coming out of the motel room.

"No." Dean groaned. "Stay in the front. You're nicer to look at than his ugly mug."

Buffy just laughed and Sam glared at Dean.

"Come on, Dean play nice. Besides you gotta tell Sam all about your blast through the past anyway." Buffy said, climbing into the back.

"Yeah, yeah." Dean said as they got in the car.

…

"I can't believe it. Mom, a hunter?" Sam said, shocked.

"Wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it myself." Dean said. He looked at Buffy in the rearview mirror, smiling when he saw her asleep on the back seat. "That woman could kick some ass. She almost took me down."

"Looks like you and dad have similar taste in women." Sam chuckled. "How'd she look? Was she happy?"

"Yeah she was awesome." Dean said. "Smart and funny. Hopeful. Dad too… till of course…"

Sam cleared his throat and looked out the window.

"What?" Dean asked, clearly seeing Sam was upset.

"Nothing." Sam shook his head. "It's just… our parents, and now we find out our grandparents too? Our whole family murdered, and for what? Just so Yellow-Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?"

Dean blinked, looking at Sam strangely. "Sam, I never said anything about demon blood."

Sam looked away.

"You knew about that?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, for about a year." Sam admitted quietly.

"A whole year!" Dean said, blown away.

"I should have told you. I'm sorry."

"Been saying that a lot lately, Sam. But whatever." Dean said, plastering a sarcastic smile on his face. "You don't wanna tell me, you don't have to. It's fine."

"Dean…"

Dean focused his eyes on the road, his expression closed off.

"Whatever." Sam muttered.

…..

Sam, Dean, and Buffy sat in the Impala outside the Montgomery household, holding bincoculars.

"You sure that's him?" Dean asked.

"The only Jack Montgomery in town." Sam replied.

"And we're looking for what exactly?" Buffy asked, shifting restlessly.

"Travis said to keep an eye out for anything weird." Sam explained.

"Could he have vagued that up a little more?" Buffy said sarcastically.

Sam just shrugged.

"Well, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top. But this guy…" Dean said.

"This guy's boring." Buffy finished.

"Exactly." Dean agreed.

"I don't know guys, Travis seemed pretty sure." Sam said.

They watched as Jack stuffed his face with what looked like left over chicken, then tear into a package of raw ground beef.

"Okay… _that's_ weird." Buffy said, lowering her binoculars. "Not super high on the weird scale, but definitely weird."

"Oh yeah." Dean said.

….

They walked down the hall to their motel room, Dean's arm thrown over Buffy's shoulders as Sam walked slightly ahead of them. Things between Sam and Dean were still tense at best. Buffy had been awake for the argument in the car, but she'd pretended to be asleep, not wanting to interfere in the brothers' fights. She could understand Dean's anger though. Sam was one of the most important people in Dean's life. Dean had died for him, and now Sam seemed to be lying or hiding something at every turn. Dean had every right to feel betrayed. Buffy didn't want to be all side-choosing, but the pain she could practically _feel_ radiating from Dean was making a small seed of bitterness form inside her towards Sam.

Feeling a surge of protectiveness well within her, she wrapped an arm around Dean's waist, squeezing slightly. Dean was never much for PDA, but he didn't seem to mind right now.

Sam opened the door to their room and they walked inside and were met by the sight of an older man sitting at a small table, drinking a beer.

"Travis!" Dean said. He looked at Sam. "See Sam, I told you we shoulda hid the beer."

"Smart ass." Travis remarked. "Get over here."

Dean hugged the older man and stepped back as Sam did the same.

"It's good to see ya." Travis said. "And who's this pretty little lady?" He asked, noticing Buffy for the first time.

"Travis, this is my girlfriend, Buffy, this is Travis, he's an old friend of the family." Dean said, placing his hand on her back.

"It's nice to meet you." Buffy said politely, shaking the man's hand.

"Likewise." He looked at Dean. "You brought your girl on a hunt boy?"

Dean laughed. "There a lot more to her than meets the eye. Buffy can kick _my_ ass, much less any damn monsters."

Buffy smiled as the old man looked surprised.

"You're a hunter?" He asked, clearly skeptical.

"More or less." Buffy answered evasively. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sam and Dean's friend, she just didn't feel like advertising her Slayerness to the whole world.

Dean seemed to sense this and changed the subject. "So how ya been, Travis? It's been a while."

"I know. It's gotta be at least ten years." Travis looked at Sam. "Man you got tall kid. You still a… what was it? A mathlete?"

Sam laughed. "No."

"Yep, sure is." Dean countered. His voice was teasing, but there was a hard edge underneath it that Sam seemed to pick up on and shifted uncomfortably.

"It's been too long boys." Travis said. "Look at ya. Grown men. John woulda been damn proud of you, sticking together like this."

"Yeah. We're as thick as thieves. Nothing more important than family." Dean said, giving Sam a hard look.

Sam looked tiredly at Dean.

"Well thanks for helpin out an old man. I'm a little short handed." Travis said, gesturing to his broken arm with a laugh.

They all went over to the small table. Buffy took a seat between Dean and Sam.

"So, you track down Montgomery?"

"Yeah, we found him at his home." Sam said.

"And?" Travis asked.

"Well he had a helluva case of the munchies." Dean said.

"And topped it off with a burger, extra extra rare, no bun required." Buffy said.

"That's him alright."

"What's him?" Dean asked.

"Well, we got a roogaroo on our hands."

"A rooga-what now?" Buffy asked.

" A roogaroo." Travis said.

"Is that made up? That sounds made up." Dean said.

"They're mean, nasty little suckers. Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"Well that ain't this guy. I mean, he was wearing a cell phone on his belt." Dean said.

"He'll turn ugly soon enough. They start out human for all intents and purposes." Travis said.

"So what, they go through some kind of metamorphosis?" Sam asked.

"Like a maggot turning into a blow fly. But most of all, they're hungry."

"Hungry for what?" Buffy asked.

"At first, for everything. And then for long-pig." Travis said.

"Long-pig?" Dean questioned.

"He means human flesh." Sam answered.

"And that is my word of the day." Dean joked.

Travis chuckled. "Hunger grows in, till they can't fight it. Till they have to take themselves a big juicy chomp. Then it happens."

"What happens?" Sam asked.

"They transform completely and fast." Travis explained. "One bite's all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they're a monster forever. And our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

"How'd you find this guy if he's a walkin, talkin human?" Dean asked.

"Let's just say it runs in his family." Travis answered.

"You mean…" Sam started.

"Killed his daddy back in 78. Son of a bitch mangled 8 bodies before I put him down. The guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife, little did I know _pregnant_ trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system." Travis told them.

"You mean to tell me _you_ couldn't find someone?" Sam asked skeptically.

"I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid, I don't think I'da had the heart." Travis said sadly. "No. I wanted to wait. Make damn sure I had the right man, and apparently I do."

"So how do we kill him?" Buffy asked quietly.

An hour later Sam had gone off to do some research and Buffy, Dean, and Travis were putting together makeshift flame throwers.

"So, fire." Buffy said.

"Yup. Only way I've found to kill these bastards. Deep fry em'."

"Well... that's gonna be… horrible." Dean said flatly.

"No kidding." Buffy agree. "The smell of burning flesh is definitely _not_ on my list of favorite things."

"Well no one's askin' you to do this." Travis said, giving Buffy a hard look.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? We came here for a hunt, I'm gonna hunt. I didn't volunteer to be trapped in a car for 8 hours to get here and be sidelined." Buffy said. "Look, I get it. You're not used to having a girl on the team. Well get over it. I can kick more ass than you on your best day and not break a sweat. You'll get used to it." Buffy put down her flame thrower and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door.

Travis looked at Dean. "She's a spitfire, ain't she?"

"You have no idea." Dean said with a smile. "She's not kidding though. She can hold her own."

Sam walked back into the motel room. "You aren't wasting any time, are you?"

"None to waste. Guy hulks out we won't be finding bodies, just remains." Travis said.

"What is he doesn't 'hulk out'?" Sam asked.

Travis looked at him strangely.

"I did a little homework. Been checking out the lore on Roogaroos." Sam said.

"What? My 30 years experience not good enough for ya?"

"What? No, I-I just wanted to be prepared. I mean not that you didn't…"Sam stuttered out.

"Sam loves research." Dean said, saving Sam from more fumbling. "A little too much. I swear he keeps it under his mattress right next to his bottle of KY."

"Do I even wanna know what you're talking about?" Buffy asked, coming out of the bathroom.

"Sam and his research addiction." Dean said.

"Ah."

"Look, everything you said checked out, of course. But uh, I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this roogaroo gene or whatever. See they start to turn but they never take the final step." Sam explained.

"Really?" Dean asked.

"See if they never eat human flesh, they never fully transform." Sam said excitedly.

"So what, go vegan, stay human?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Basically. Or in this case just eat a lot of raw meat… just not-"

"Long-pig." Dean cut in.

"Right." Sam said.

"That's your new favorite word isn't it?" Buffy quipped.

Dean grinned at her.

"Good on you for the diligence, Sam. But those are fairytales. Fact is every roogaroo I ever saw or heard of took that bite." Travis said, pouring himself more coffee.

"But that doesn't mean that Jack will." Sam argued.

"So what do we do? Sit and hope and wait for a body count?" Travis asked wryly.

"No we talk to him. Explain what's happening that way he can fight it." Sam said.

"Fight it?" Travis laughed. "Are you kidding me? You ever been really hungry? Like haven't eaten in days, hungry?"

"Yeah." Dean answered, looking up from reading over Sam's research.

"Yeah? Right then. Someone slaps a big juicy sirloin in front of you. You walking away?"

Dean glances at Sam, seeing Travis' point.

"That's what we are to him now. Meat on legs. I'm sorry, I'm sure he's a real stand up guy but it's pure base instinct." Travis said.

"Sorry but I gotta go with Sam on this one." Buffy spoke up.

Dean looked at her curiously.

"Just because no one else had the strength to fight their nature doesn't automatically mean this guy will follow the same path. Sam's right, we can talk to him, let him know what's going on. Maybe if he understands what's happening to him, he can control his cravings, limit the temptation." Buffy said.

"Exactly." Sam agreed.

"Everything in nature's gotta eat. You think he's just gonna stop himself cause he's nice?" Travis asked, disbelieving.

"Sometimes a person's character and convictions, can overpower anything nature's dished out." Buffy said confidently. "I don't know this guy, but I know we need to at least give him a chance to take control of this."

Sam shot Buffy a grateful look, while Dean looked at her with cautious understanding.

"I don't know if he's gonna give in or not, but we're not killing him until he does something to get killed for." Sam said firmly, glaring at Travis before leaving the room.

Buffy glanced at Travis and Dean for a moment before going after Sam.

…

Buffy caught up to Sam in the hallway. "Hey."

Sam looked at her. "Hey thanks for that back there."

"No problem. I only said what I feel. You were right, even if you are over identifying a bit." Buffy said, looking at Sam carefully.

Sam's brows furrowed. "Over identifying?"

"I get it, Sam. I do. Nature slapped you with something sucky and you're trying to do something good with it. Taking something black and bringing it into the grey area."

"I'm not sure how I feel talking to you about this." Sam said warily. Sure Buffy had backed him up and she seemed trust worthy enough… but this was pretty personal.

"All I'm saying is that I know a thing or two about shades of gray." She said touching his arm so he would stop walking. "When I was 16, I had a boyfriend. He… was a vampire."

Sam's eyes widened.

"Yeah. But he had a soul. So big gray area there. He didn't feed off humans and he helped me fight sometimes. He was a good man. Of course then he went evil and tried to destroy the world and I had to kill him."

"What?" Sam was having a hard time processing what Buffy was trying to tell him.

"My point? There's a lot of shades of gray in this world, but they all have the potential to go full on black very quickly if you don't know what you're getting into. Dean's worried about you, and so am I. I may not know all the details, but even I can see you're playing with fire, Sam, and it can go black in the blink of an eye without you ever seeing it coming." Buffy told him gently. "I'm not one to judge you. I've pretty much lived in the gray since I became the slayer. I just hope you'll listen to people who care about you before you end up in over your head."

Sam stared at her for a moment, before looking away and Buffy turned and walked back the room.

…..

Buffy, Sam, and Dean returned to the Impala after a less than successful conversation with Jack Montgomery.

"Well that went well, except that it didn't." Buffy said dryly.

"Well we tried." Sam said.

"Yep, it's up to him now." Dean said. "We just gotta watch him and be ready if he…"

"Yeah." Sam agreed.

…..

After losing sight of Jack, they pulled up in front of the Montgomery house. Dean saw Travis' truck.

"Guess now we know where Travis is." Dean remarked.

"That stupid son of a bitch." Sam said under his breath and they grabbed the flame throwers and walked into the house.

"Oh God…" Dean groaned, seeing the blood stained carpet of pieces of what looked like chewed meat on the floor. "Think that's Travis?"

"What's left of him." Sam said. Sam glanced at Dean. "Guess you were right about Jack."

Suddenly Dean was tackled from behind. Jack pinned Dean to a table as Sam aimed the flame thrower at him. Jack was on Sam before he could blink and knocked him out cold, smashing him on the head with the base of the gas tank.

Buffy sent a kick to the side of Jack's head sending him to the other side of the room. Jack recovered quickly, lunging at her. Dean got off the table, grabbing his flame thrower but Jack saw what he was doing and picked up a living chair, hurling it at Dean, knocking him back into a wall and Dean crumpled to the floor.

"Dean!" Buffy shouted in alarm. Buffy looked at Jack, enraged.

"You're gonna pay for that." She said, her voice eerily calm.

"And what about you, huh? What about them?" Jack demanded. "What are you gonna have to pay for? That friend of yours was trying to kill me and my wife! YOU deserve to pay, all of you. Just like he did!"

"Why would Travis want to kill your wife?" Buffy said, her suspicions growing.

"He… he didn't say." Jack said, throwing a fist at Buffy's face.

Buffy caught his fist, clenching it tightly as she kicked him in the stomach. She let go of his fist and kicked out, sending him into a wall. "I'm sorry about what happened. But I won't let you hurt anyone else." Buffy said.

"I wouldn't have hurt anyone! I wouldn't have if that man hadn't come here!" Jack raged.

"Maybe, maybe not." Buffy said. "But it's too late for that now."

Buffy saw Sam stir behind them. In her distraction, Jack lunged, pinning her against the wall. Buffy brought her knee up and shoved the man away from her. "Sam now!" She shouted and watched as Sam torched the man.

Jack collapsed to the ground, his body engulfed in flames.

Buffy ran across the living room and pulled Dean out from between the wall and the chair. "Dean?"

Dean grunted, his eyes opening. "The hell hit me?" Dean groaned out.

"Jack." Sam said simply, walking over to them and helping Dean up.

…

Things were silent on their way out of town. Dean shot Sam concerned looked every couple of minutes.

"You did the right thing you know." Dean said. "That guy was a monster, there was no going back."

Sam just continued to stare out the window.

"Sam I wanted to tell you, I'm sorry. I've been kinda hard on you lately-"

"Don't worry about it, Dean." Sam interrupted his voice soft and weary.

"It's just that, you know, your psychic thing, it scares the crap out of me." Dean said.

"You know if it's all the same, I'd really rather not talk about it." Sam said, looking at Dean for the first time since they'd been back on the road.

"_You. You_don't wanna talk?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Dean." Buffy warned from the back seat.

"Look I can't keep explaining myself to you. I can't make you understand." Sam said.

"Well try." Dean shot back.

"I can't!" Sam said, exasperated. "Because this thing… this blood, it's not in you the way it's in me. It's just something I gotta deal with."

"Not alone." Dean told him.

Sam caught Buffy's eye in the rearview mirror before looking away. "Either way it doesn't matter. These powers… it's playing with fire. I'm done with them. I'm done with everything." Sam said firmly.

"Really? Well that's a relief. Thank you." Dean said.

"Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for you, or for the angels or for anybody. This is my choice."

Dean just nodded his head and they drove on in silence.

….

More fun to come!


	4. Chapter 4

My Soul Dreams

Chapter 4

AN: Sorry this took so long to get out. This chapter did NOT wanna be written. But on the upside chapter 5 is already done and will be posted super soon. Enjoy!

…

"The radio around here sucks." Dean complained as they drove into Pennsylvania. He noticed Sam looking over the case file. "Come on, a case doesn't get much sweeter than this. A dead vic with a gnawed on neck, body drained of blood, _and_ a witness that swears up and down that it was a vampire."

"Yeah… sweet." Buffy said sarcastically from the back.

"Oh not you too!" Dean groaned. "What's the matter with you two?"

"No, I agree. It's a helluva case. It's just… the world is coming to an end. Things are getting a bit complicated." Sam said.

"Yeah well we can't save the world. Not today anyway, but what we can do is chop off some vamp's head." Dean said enthusiastically.

"Well forgive me if I'm not doing cartwheels back here. My leg is asleep." Buffy said dryly.

"Ah come on, I figured if anyone would be amped up for this, it'd be you Miss _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. I didn't get your title wrong did I?" Dean teased.

"Nope. I'm all for the slayage. I'm just bored. One vamp's not exactly gonna get my blood pumping."

"I can think of a few things I could do to help with that." Dean said, turning around to leer at her.

"Hey eyes on the road Casanova." Sam said.

Dean laughed, facing forward again.

"I don't know. Maybe we should let Sam handle this one, Dean." Buffy said, a smirk spearing on her face.

"Uh… why?" He questioned, glancing at her again.

Buffy just raised her eyebrows, giving Dean a pointed look.

Dean didn't need her to spell it out. "What do you say, Sammy? Think you can take care of Bela Lugosi by yourself?"

Sam shot Dean a look. "You were just whining about none of us being excited for the vamp hunt and now you don't want in on it?"

"Priorities, Sam."

"So you want me to take out the vamp so you and Buffy can go do it." Sam said flatly.

"Yeah that sounds about right." Dean said unapologetic.

Sam sighed. "Fine. But we're getting separate rooms… on separate floors. I _never_ need to hear that stuff."

Dean laughed, slapping Sam on the shoulder. "Thanks bro, I owe you one."

….

"That was nice of Sam." Buffy said as they walked into their motel room.

"Sweetheart," Dean said taking off his jacket. "We are _not_ talking about Sam right now."

Buffy giggled as he pinned her against the wall by the door, his hands trailing down her sides as his lips covered hers.

Buffy's hands gripped the fabric of his t-shirt as he broke away, his lips leaving a trail of fire as he kissed down her neck. "Need you." Buffy gasped.

Dean lifted her up, her legs going around his hips as he carried her over to the bed. He set Buffy down and she rose to her knees, and reached over, pulling his shirt over his head before her lips covered his again.

Dean slid his hands up the front of her shirt, caressing the parts of her soft breasts not covered by her bra. A moment later, her shirt and bra were gone. Her skirt and panties followed soon after.

Buffy reached down, tugging impatiently at his fly. Dean smirked, swatting her hands away. He unbuttoned his pants and slid them down his legs and pushed her back onto the bed, looming over her. He dipped his head softly kissing along her jaw.

"Buffy." He whispered.

"Please."

And for the first time in over six years, Buffy and Dean lost themselves in each other.

Many passion-filled hours later, Buffy lay tucked in Dean's arms, her favorite place in the world, a fine layer of sweat covering them both.

"I missed you." Dean said softly, the deep rumble of his voice breaking the silence in the dim room. "Everyday. I didn't think I'd survive."

"But you did." She said softly.

"Yeah… but I'm nowhere near who I was back then." He said ruefully.

"Neither am I." She shifted slightly so she could look at his face. He wore a guarded expression and his eyes were conflicted. "Death changes people. No matter where we end up."

Dean sighed."Yeah."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Heaven's not exactly my favorite topic so I can only imagine…"

"I… I don't remember it." Dean said, his voice rough.

"You _do_ remember who you're talking to right?" Buffy asked, giving him a serious look.

Dean couldn't help but chuckle a little. That was his Buffy. She could always manage to cut through all of his bullshit with ease. Truth was… he almost _wanted_ to tell her, if for no other reason than to prove to himself that she'd love him anyway. It had been on his mind for a while. She'd always been there for him any time he needed her, and somehow, even with all his self loathing and self doubt… he knew in his heart she wouldn't condemn him. But that was the reason he _didn_'_t_ tell her. He didn't deserve her compassion. He was a monster. He knew she held the power to ease his pain… and he couldn't let her.

He looked at her with sad eyes and shook his head. "I… I can't. You're right, I remember everything… every damn second. But… I can't talk about it." He pulled her against his chest burying his face in her hair.

"It's okay. I told you, you don't have to. But know that you can always talk to me Dean, about anything." Buffy told him softly.

Dean swallowed. "I know. Believe me… if there's anyone I was gonna talk about this with, it'd be you. But I can't."

Buffy nodded. "But I still wanna help. If there's any way I can… just tell me."

Dean grinned, never one to let a moment stay sappy for too long. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to lay on top of him. "How 'bout you distract me." He said, leering at her.

Buffy smiled, shaking her head at him in amusement. She knew what he was doing and she'd let him. "I think I can do that." Buffy said with a smirk. She slid down his body and under the covers.

Moments later Dean groaned, his eyes rolling back in his head, his hips arching off the bed slightly. Damn she was good at distractions.

…

Sam climbed into the passenger seat of the Impala and leaned his head back against the seat.

"So how'd it go?" Dean asked looking more relaxed than Sam had seen him in a long time.

"Fine, in the I-hate-Oktoberfest sense of the word." Sam griped.

"So vamp's dead."

"Yeah." Sam said.

"Cool." Dean said, putting his foot on the accelerator and driving away.

"But you missed all the chicks in short skirts and wooden shoes." Sam teased.

"I am completely okay with that." Dean said with a smirk, glancing at a very content looking Buffy in the rearview mirror. And he was. He'd give up all the beer carrying busty babes in the world if he could spend every night in Buffy's arms… and the various other places he'd spent time in last night. He had Buffy back, and even though the world was technically coming to an end, he couldn't help but be okay as long as she was with him.

…..

Sorry if that kinda sucked. I'm not really of fan of the episode Monster Movie so I kinda let Buffy and Dean do their own thing. I tried not to make it too graphic since this is rated T… so yeah. More to come!


	5. Chapter 5

My Soul Dreams

Chapter 5

Yellow Fever

…

"So how'd the autopsy go?" Buffy asked the guys as they got in the car.

"Tell me again why you got to stay behind?" Sam asked moodily.

"Because I lack a cool suit and a female FBI agent as pretty as me would attract too much attention." Buffy said matter-of-factly.

"Well that's crap. Dean we're getting her a suit so next time _she_ can be the one squirted with spleen juice."

Buffy made a disgusted face. "Hey don't blame me Mr. Cranky Pants. No one told you to go pissin' off a spleen." Buffy quipped.

Dean laughed at the pissed off look on Sam's face. "That spleen knew you didn't like it, Sammy."

"Anyway," Sam growled. "The victim died of a heart attack, but there we no blockages in any of the arteries. Also, we found scratches on the victim's hands and arms. Like something rubbed the skin raw." Sam explained.

"We're gonna go talk to the Sheriff." Dean said, driving the car down the street, using a bit more caution than usual.

….

"No way that was a heart attack." Dean said as they met up with Buffy outside.

"Definitely no way. Three victims, all with those same red scratches. All went from jittery to terrified to dead within 48 hours."

"So you think something scared them to death?" Buffy asked.

Sam nodded. "So what can do that?"

"What can't?" Buffy said with a shrug.

"Yeah. Ghosts, vampires, chupacabra. There could be a hundred things." Dean said.

"So we make a list and start crossing things off." Sam said.

"Alright. Who was the last to see Frank O'Brian alive?" Dean asked.

"Uh his neighbor Mark Huchens."

"Hang on." Dean stopped walking.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I don't like the look of those teenagers over there. Let's walk this way." Dean said walking away, shooting the teens a wary glance.

Buffy and Sam exchanged a confused look before following Dean.

….

Buffy and Sam sat on Mark Huchens' couch questioning him about his neighbor, while Dean… well to Buffy, Dean just looked nervous.

Mark saw the frightened look Dean was giving the snake around his neck. "Don't be scared of Donnie. He's a sweetheart. It's Marie you gotta look out for." He said gesturing to the snake slitering up the back of the couch between Dean and Buffy. "She smells fear."

Dean looked over his shoulder at the snake before stiffening and looking straight ahead letting out a shuddering breath.

Dean forced a smile as the snake began to crawl onto his arm, his eyes rolling upward as she continued to sliter lower.

"_Get me outta here_." He hissed at Buffy through clenched teeth.

Buffy forced down a giggle, clearing her throat. "Thank you for your time Mr. Huchens." She said politely, gently moving the snake off of Dean so he could get up.

"Yeah sure thing." He said.

…..

Buffy watched Dean curiously as the scratched at his arm while reading over the report in front of him. Something about him was setting off her slayer senses. Not in a "you're evil, I must slay you" kind of way, thankfully. Just in a "something Supernatural is going on here" kinda of way, and that usually didn't lead to hugs and puppies.

Dean jumped as Sam reentered the car.

"Any luck at the county clerk's office?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure we'd call it luck." Buffy said as Dean handed Sam the papers.

"Frank's wife Jessie was a manic depressive. Went off her meds back in 88 and vanished. They found her two weeks later, three towns over strung up in a motel room. Suicide." Dean explained.

"Any chance Frank helped her along to the other side?" Sam asked.

"Nope. Frank was working a swing shift when she disappeared. His alibi is air tight." Buffy said.

Dean started the car and drove down the street.

"How was Frank's place?" Buffy asked.

"Clean. Searched it top to bottom. No EMF, no hex bags, no sulfur." Sam said.

"So that means no ghost, no witches, and no demons." Dean concluded. "3 down, 97 to go."

"Yeah." Sam said. He glanced at the speedometer. "Dude your going 20."

"So?"

"That's the speed limit." Sam said in disbelief.

"So what, safty's a crime now?" Dean snarked.

Buffy gaped openly at Dean. "Hey Sam, gimme your EMF reader please."

"Why?" Sam asked, digging it out of his pocket.

"Call it a hunch." She took it from him and switched it on, pointing it at Dean. The device flared up as soon as it got anywhere near Dean. "Hunch confirmed." Buffy said wryly.

"What the hell?" A shocked Sam asked.

Dean's eyes were comically wide. "Am I haunted? _Am I haunted_?" Dean exclaimed.

Sam and Buffy looked at each other, then looked back at Dean. "Maybe." They said in unison.

…

Buffy leaned against the outside of the Impala as she and Dean waited for Sam to return with donuts. She glanced at Dean through the front window, a grin breaking out on her face. Dean was sprawled out on the front seat, air drumming to "Eye of the Tiger" and seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. She spotted Sam coming towards the car and made a shushing motion then pointed to Dean.

Sam shook his head, amused. "Having fun?"

Dean jumped in surprise. "Uh what?" Dean stuttered, shutting off the radio and climbing out of the car. "Look at this." Dean said in alarm, showing Sam and Buffy the angry red scratches on his arm.

"I just got off the phone with Bobby." Sam said, handing Dean the box of donuts.

"And?" Dean asked, sniffing the box before tossing it on the seat.

"And you're not gonna like it."

"What?" Buffy asked, her concern growing.

"It's ghost sickness." Sam said.

"Ghost sickness?" Buffy and Dean asked at the same time.

"Yeah."

"Oh God no…" Dean groaned. Then he shook his head and looked at Sam. "I don't even know what that is."

"Yeah me neither." Buffy said.

"Well some cultures believe that spirits can infect the living with a disease. That's why they stopped displaying bodies in houses and started shipping them off the funeral homes." Sam explained.

"Okay get to the good stuff." Dean interrupted.

"Symptoms are: you get anxious,"

"Yeah."

"Then scared."

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

"Then really scared, and then your heart gives out." Sam finished. "Sound familiar?"

"Yeah but Sam, we haven't see a ghost in weeks." Dean said.

"Well I doubt you actually caught it from a ghost. Once the spirit infects that first person, ghost sickness can spread like any sickness, through a cough, a handshake, whatever. Like the flu." Sam explained. "Now Frank O'Brian was the first to die, so that means he was the first infected. Patient 0."

"Our very own Outbreak monkey." Dean remarked.

"So how do we stop it?" Buffy asked, taking Dean's hand in her own when he tried to scratch his arm.

"We gank the ghost that started all this. Do that, and the disease should clear up."

"You thinkin' Frank's wife?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "Who knows why she killed herself."

Dean nodded.

"What are you guys doing waiting out here anyway?" Sam asked.

"Dean didn't wanna go up to the room." Buffy said.

"We're on the fourth floor… it's high." Dean said.

Buffy lifted an eyebrow at him.

Sam sighed and shook his head. "I'll see if I can get us moved down to the first."

"Thanks." Dean said.

…

Buffy stayed behind with Dean in the motel room, wanting to keep an eye on him. He sat next to her on the sofa reading up on Ghost Sickness.

Dean rubbed his eyes as he began to hallucinate into his book, the sound of the click pounding into his ears. The pounding continued, almost as if it were taunting him.

Buffy frowned in concern as Dean became increasingly agitated. She looked over to see what he was glaring at. The clock.

"Dean, honey, is the clock bothering you?" Buffy asked, her voice soft to avoid startling him.

Dean nodded velmently, his hands fisting in his hair.

Buffy got up and crossed the room, standing on the desk to reach the clock. She took it down from the wall and removed the batteries and sat it face down on the desk.

"That better?" She asked returning to her place next to Dean.

Dean sighed in relief and nodded, getting up to grab a beer. He sat back down, draining his beer quickly.

Buffy leaned her back against the arm of the couch. "Come here." Buffy said.

Dean sighed and crawled over to her, stretching out beside her on the couch, his head finding its favorite place on her breasts.

She ran her fingers through his hair, hoping he would be able to relax even a little.

Dean sighed as he felt his heart slow slightly. It had been pounding in his ears for hours, but Buffy's touch seemed to calm it down.

Buffy looked up as she heard Sam unlock the motel door.

Sam entered, smiling slightly at seeming Buffy and Dean curled up on the couch. Seeing them together still surprised him sometimes. Dean, his playboy big brother, was _cuddling_ on a couch with a woman he was engaged to. No wonder the world was ending.

"Everything alright?" Sam asked.

"Oh yeah." Dean said, not bothering to move from his place on Buffy's chest. If he was gonna die, he was gonna enjoy these awesome boobs while he was still here. He nuzzled his face into her breasts. "Just peachy." Came his muffled sarcastic response.

"Did you find anything?" Buffy asked, making no attempt to move Dean's head, even though it was kind of inappropriate in front of Sam. Her thoughts followed along to same line as Dean. She might lose him… and even if she didn't, this couldn't be easy for him. She'd let him get away with almost anything at this point.

"Jessie O'Brian was cremated, so I'm pretty sure she's not our ghost." Sam said.

"Damn." Buffy said.

"How you feeling, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Swell." He said dryly, turning his head slightly, his cheek rubbing against the soft fabric of Buffy's shirt. "I have my head on the chopping block again. I almost forgot what that feels like. It's fucking delightful." Dean muttered bitterly.

Buffy sighed, rubbing her hand down his back. "We're gonna figure something out." She said softly.

"Yeah. We'll keep looking." Sam assured him.

Dean pushed himself up off Buffy as he began to cough.

"Dean?" Buffy said worriedly.

He coughed more violently, gasping for breath as he choked on something.

"Hey, you alright?" Sam asked, his face a mask of worry.

Dean got up and rushed over to the sink. Buffy rushed over to him, hitting him gently on the back as he coughed and heaved. Dean coughed again, and something hard and bloody fell into the sink.

"What the fuck?" Dean asked hoarsely.

Buffy turned on the water, rinsing it off. Dean picked it up, studying it. "A wood chip?" Dean said, bewildered.

Sam stood on his other side. "We've been ignoring the biggest clue we have. You."

"I don't wanna be a clue." Dean said, pouting.

"The abrasions, this, the disease is trying to tell us something." Sam insisted.

"Tell us what? Wood chips?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Exactly!" Sam said with a laugh.

….

They pulled up in front of a lumber mill and got out of the car.

Dean looked up at the building. "I'm not going in there."

"Dean…" Sam sighed. "I need back up."

"It's fine Sam. I'll be your back up. Hang out in the car, Dean." Buffy said.

Buffy and Sam loaded up on weapons and rock salt and entered the mill.

Sam bent down and picked up a ring off the floor. "_To Frank, love Jesse_". This is Frank O'Brian's ring."

"What was Frank doing here?" Buffy wondered.

"No idea."

They walked through the mill until they found a back room.

"Hey look at this." Buffy said examining a drawing of a woman left on a work table. She pulled on Dean's report on Jesse, matching the picture. "This is Frank's wife."

"The plot thickens." Sam said, coming to take a look.

"Yeah but to what?"

Suddenly the mill sparks to life, machines whirling and saws buzzing all around them.

Buffy looks at something over Sam's shoulder, her slayer sensing tingling. "Sam." She said, not taking her eyes off the ghost in the corner.

Sam spun around, aiming his gun at the man. "That's Luther Garland. I grabbed his ID off the table."

"Well I don't think he liked that…" Buffy said as Luther turned to them, charging at Sam.

Sam shot the ghost, the spirit dissipating.

"Well we know we're in the right place." He said.

Buffy nodded. "Let's go check on Dean."

They found Dean huddled on the front seat, an empty bottle of whisky in his hands.

"You do realize Sam has to drive now, don't you?" Buffy said, looking at him through the open window.

"What?" Dean exclaimed. "No! He might crash!" Dean protested.

"Well you drank too much." Sam said, opening the driver's side door. "So now you _can't_ drive."

Dean whimpered before getting out of the car and moving to the back seat with Buffy. Buffy smiled as he scooted next to her.

"Hey!" She protested when Dean grabbed her boob through her shirt.

"What? I might not be around the grope these later." Dean said defensively.

"I so don't need to be here for that." Sam muttered from the front seat, driving away from the mill.

…..

"Well now I know what these are." Dean said as they walked out of the retirement home. "Road rash! _And_ I'm guessing Luther swallowed some wood chips while he was being dragged down that road."

"Makes sense. Experiencing his death in slow motion." Sam said.

"Yeah well not slow enough. I say we burn some bone and get me healthy." Dean said seriously.

"Dean, it won't be that easy." Sam said sadly.

"Why won't it be that easy?" Buffy asked, alarmed. "That's how you gank a ghost right? Salt and burn?"

"Luther was road hauled. His body was ripped to pieces. His body was probably scattered all over that road. There's no way we're gonna find all the remains." Sam explained.

"You gotta be kidding me." Dean said, his face growing dark.

"We'll just have to figure something else out." Sam said.

"You know what, screw this." Dean said, stepping away from the car.

"Woah, hey Dean come on." Sam said.

"No, you come on. What are we doing?"

"We're hunting a ghost." Sam said slowly.

"Exactly. A ghost! Who does that?"

"We do." Buffy said, placing a hand on Dean's arm.

"And that right there is exactly why our lives suck! We hunt monsters, I mean, come on, what the hell!" Dean exclaimed. "Normal people, they see a monster and they run, but not us, no! We search out things that want to kill us! Or eat us! You know who does that? Crazy people!" Dean continued to rant. "We are insane! You!" he pointed at Buffy. "I was supposed to marry you! And you died! And then I died! We died, Buffy! And you know why we died? Because we're crazy people who hunt monsters!" Dean was near hysterical now. "And then there's the bad diner food and the skivi motel rooms and the truck stop waitress with the bizarre rash…"

"Excuse me!" Buffy said angrily as she caught his last comment.

"And the angry girlfriend who can kick my ass…" Dean continued weakly.

"Now I'm definitely gonna make damn sure we find a cure for this ghost sickness because there is no way in _hell_ I'm letting some ghost kill you before I do. Get in the car, Dean!" Buffy snapped, glaring daggers at Dean.

"But…" Dean whined.

"I can _make_ you get in the car." Buffy threatened.

Dean's eyes widen as he jumped in the passenger seat.

Sam just shook his head and got in the car.

….

"What do we do now? I got less than four hours on the clock." Dean said as he sat on one of the motel beds. He glanced at the closed bathroom door Buffy had just disappeared behind. "I'm gonna die Sam."

"Yeah, you are." Sam agreed. "You're going back."

"Back?" Dean asked, shocked at Sam's answer.

"Downstairs, Dean. Hell." Sam said simply. "It's about damn time too. Truth is, you're a real pain in my ass." Sam said, his eyes glowing yellow.

"No! You get out of my brother you evil son of a bitch!" Dean raged as he was shoved across the room by an invisible force.

"No one's possessing me, Dean. This is what I'm going to become. This is what I want to become. And there's nothing you can do to stop it. And once you're gone… Buffy will be mine."

"No!"

"Yes. A sweet little Slayer like that… and she likes demons, doesn't she Dean?" Sam's voice taunted.

"You stay away from her." Dean growled.

"What can you do about it? You'll be dead." Sam said with a smirk, placing a hand on Dean's throat and squeezing.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Sam shouted, trying to snap his brother out o his hallucination.

"Dean!" Buffy shook Dean's shoulder. "Dean snap out of it!"

"Dean!" Sam shouted.

Dean gasped for air, his hallucination fading. He looked away from Sam's concerned face, unable to shake the feeling seeing Sam with yellow eyes had invoked. He looked a Buffy, giving her a shaky smile. "I'm… I'm good. I um… I need a bed." Dean said, pushing himself off the wall and allowed Buffy to help him over to his bed.

"Bobby's meeting us at the mill in a little while. We should get going." Sam told Buffy.

Buffy nodded and reached for her jacket when Dean's hand clamped down on her wrist like a vice.

"No! Stay… please." Dean pleaded desperately.

Buffy looked at Sam, her eyes wide and glassy. Sam nodded. "Go ahead, stay. Bobby and I can take care of it."

Buffy smiled gratefully and laid down on the bed next to Dean as Sam left the room.

Dean pulled her close, holding her tightly.

"What did you see?" She asked softly.

Dean was breathing hard. He didn't really wanna talk about it but he had to tell someone. And he could never tell Sam…

"I saw Sam." Dean admitted, his voice rough. "Sam… was a demon."

"He was possessed?" Buffy asked.

"No. He _was_ the demon. He had yellow eyes like Azazel… he let himself become that." Dean explained horror evident in his voice. "And it terrifies me… because it could happen."

"Dean…"

"No, Buffy, it's true. We don't know what would happen if Sam keeps using those powers. The demon blood in him could be feeding on it, growing more and more every time he uses them. And this isn't the sickness talking. I've thought about this before… just… seeing it…it messed with my head. That hallucination could become my brother… he come become the next Azazel… and I might not be able to stop it."

Buffy didn't know what to say. Dean was trembling with emotion and she pulled him closer, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "We won't let that happen, Dean. Sam won't let that happen." Buffy said firmly. "He said he was done using those powers. We have to trust that."

Dean lifted his head, looking into Buffy's large hazel eyes. "I don't wanna die… I just got you back…" Dean's voice broke as he spoke. "You were gone for so long… and when I went… went to hell… I knew I'd never see you again, but now we're both here… and more than anything, I don't wanna lose that." Dean whispered.

"You're not going to die. I'm not going to let you." Buffy said, tears spilling from her eyes.

"I love you." Dean said softly, pressing a tender kiss to her lips.

"I love you too, Dean." She whispered.

"Aww isn't that sweet."

Dean's head snapped up at the sound of a little girl's voice.

"Hi, Dean." The small blond girl said with a little wave. "It's me, Lilith."

Seeing Dean's face pale as he stared across the room, Buffy sat up. "Dean, honey, what do you see?" Buffy asked, nudging Dean to pull his attention away from whatever he was hallucinating.

"Lilith." Dean said hoarsely.

"She's not here, Dean. You know that. It's just the sickness. Don't pay any attention to it." Buffy said firmly.

Dean nodded, looking away from Lilith and back at Buffy.

"She can say whatever she wants, Dean, but you're still going back to hell." Lilith said. "It was such a shame when you got out. Time to go back now."

Dean stared hard at Buffy, trying desperately the block out what he was hearing. Suddenly he began to hear dogs barking in the distance. "Oh God no…"

The door began to rattle and Dean jumped up from the bed, ducking behind a chair. Buffy was on her feet in seconds. The rattling door was _not_ one of Dean's hallucinations. Suddenly the door was kicked open and the sheriff walked in.

He was holding a gun, and Buffy could see blood soaking into his shirt sleeve. Dean saw it too.

"You're sick, just like me. Okay, you gotta relax." The sheriff slugged Dean across the face.

Buffy grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him away from Dean, shoving him across the room. "Alright look, I don't wanna have to hurt you, but if you don't put that gun away and leave Dean alone we're gonna have a problem." Buffy said, watching the sheriff's gun hand carefully.

"Frank O'Brian was my friend. So he made a mistake, so I didn't bust him. So what?" the Sheriff said. "And you're gonna bring me down over that? No." He raised the gun.

Buffy's foot shot out, knocking the gun from his grip. He lunged at her and Buffy shoved him away and sent a kick to the back of his knees, sending him to the floor. "Stay down." She warned.

He didn't listen. He got up and lunged at her again, his arms extended to grab her neck. Buffy ducked, throwing him over her shoulder into the coffee table.

Dean approached him slowly as the man began to gasp for air.

"Get away from me!" He screamed.

"Hey man you gotta calm down." Dean said.

The man clutched at his chest, his breath erratic, and then he was still.

Dean sat back on the bed, gripping Buffy's hand.

"Time to go back now, Dean." Lilith taunted.

"No! You are NOT real." Dean shouted at something Buffy couldn't see.

"What's the matter Dean? Don't you remember all the fun you had down there? You _do_ remember. Four months is like forty years in hell. And you remember every second. Why haven't you told your girlfriend what you did down there? Huh? You tell her everything else. Why not your big dark secret?"

"Shut up!" Dean shouted.

"Dean, you have to calm down." Buffy said gently, but he could hear the note of urgency in her voice.

"Listen to your heart, Dean. Baboom baboom!" Lilith said.

Dean clutched his chest in pain, gasping in pain.

"Dean!" Buffy pushed him back on the bed, placing a hand over his heart. "Calm down, don't listen to it! It's not here, I am! Don't you _dare _leave me! You understand?" Buffy was getting hysterical.

Dean grasped her hand tightly, the pain in his chest overwhelming as Lilith continued to chant "Boom boom boom." Faster and faster as his heart continued to pound.

His breath caught in his throat as his lungs constricted in pain. And then it was gone.

Dean gasped as the pain left his body, his lungs filling with air once again.

"Dean are you okay?" Buffy asked, panic still evident in her voice.

"I… I think so…" Dean panted. He looked over at his arm and the scratches were gone, and he sighed in relief, pulling Buffy's head down to rest on his shoulder.

…..

"So you guys road hauled a ghost with a chain?" Dean asked dubiously.

"Iron chain." Sam clarified.

"Hmm. That's a new one." Dean said, taking a swig of his beer.

"It's what he was most afraid of. It was pretty brutal though." Sam said.

"On the upside, I'm still alive so… go team!" Dean said, smiling and draping his arm across Buffy's shoulders.

"How ya feelin' anyway?" Sam asked.

"Fine." Dean said.

"You sure, Dean? Because this line of work can get awful scary." Bobby teased.

"I'm fine!" Dean insisted. "What you wanna go hunt? I'll hunt. I'll kill anything."

"Awww." Sam said.

"He's adorable." Bobby said.

Buffy sniggered and Dean looked down at her. "Not you too." He groaned.

"Oh no, I'm not saying a word. Even I was getting pretty freaked out toward the end there. Crazy Sheriff man was definitely not the highlight of my day." Buffy said.

Dean nodded in agreement.

"I gotta get outta here." Bobby said. "I'll catch you all later."

"Thanks Bobby." Sam said as Bobby got into his car.

"So what did you see, towards the end I mean?" Sam asked after Bobby had left.

"You mean besides Buffy kickin the crap outta a cop?"

"Seriously." Sam said.

Dean looked over at Sam and he thought he saw Sam's eyes flicker yellow for a moment. He glanced at Buffy, remembering his hallucination about Sam.

Dean looked at the ground. "Howler Monkeys." Dean said. "A whole room full of them. Those things creep the hell outta me." Dean took another sip of his beer. "Nah just the usual stuff, Sammy. Nothin' I couldn't handle."

Buffy gave his leg a small squeeze, giving him her support.

…..


	6. AN

Hey guys. Super sorry about the lack of updates in like 2 months, but my computer screen broke so I've been having trouble getting a hold of all my documents. Also I just got a job so RL has been a little funky time-wise. I haven't abandoned this fic, and I don't plan to, I just can't update a quickly as I'd like. Once I get a hold of all my notes and half written chapters I should be able to update regularly again.

Thanks to those who haven't rage quit this fic yet.


	7. Chapter 6

My Soul Dreams

Chapter 6

Short little thingy here. Enjoy.

Thanks to those who reviewed!

….

It was the day after the big suckfest that had been Halloween. Buffy and Dean sat on the park bench watching the kids play.

"We did the right thing." Buffy said.

Dean nodded, taking her hand and lacing their fingers. "I don't doubt it. Sucks that the seal got broken… but there was no way we could let them wipe out all this."

"But the seal isn't what's bothering you." It wasn't a question but Dean answered anyway.

"No. It's not." Dean said quietly.

"Maybe he didn't have a choice. He was unarmed and it was trying to kill him." Buffy reasoned.

"Maybe. Still doesn't make it better."

"No, it doesn't. But you can't control what Sam does, Dean. He's a grown man." Buffy said.

"Sometimes I feel like I don't even know who he is. I mean he's hiding things, lying to me, messing with that psychic shit. My own brother is a stranger these days." Dean confessed.

"Maybe you should be talking to him about this, and not me." Buffy suggested.

"I don't know. Probably." Dean said, glancing at her. He gave her hand a slight squeeze and looked back out at the park.

He caught sight of Castiel out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to look at him.

"Let me guess, you're here for the 'I told you so' speech?" Dean said tiredly.

"No." the angel said.

"Oh good, cause I'm really not that interested." Dean replied, his tone indifferent.

"I'm not here to judge you." Castiel said.

"Then why are you here?"

"Our orders-"

"Yeah you know, we've had about enough of these orders of yours." Dean said, cutting him off.

"Our orders," Castiel said again with more force. "Were not to stop the summoning of Samhain. They were to do whatever you told us to do."

"Your orders were to follow _my_ orders?" Dean asked dubiously.

Cas nodded. "It was a test, to see how you would perform under battle field conditions, you might say."

"It was a witch. Not the tet-offensive." Dean said dryly.

Cas chuckled.

"So I failed your test. I get it." Dean said nodding. "But if you waved that time traveling wand of yours and I had to do it all over again, I'd make the same call. I don't know what's going to happen with these seals. Hell I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but I do know that all this," He gestured to their surroundings. "All this, the kids, the swings, the trees. All this is still here because of Buffy, my brother, and me." Dean said confidently.

Castiel nodded slightly. "You misunderstand me, Dean. I'm not like you think. I was praying that you would choose to save the town." Cas said.

"You were?"

"These people. They're all my Father's creations. They're works of art. And yet, even though you stopped Samhain, the seal was broken, and we are one step closer to hell on earth for all creation. And that's not an expression, that's literal." The angel said, giving Dean a pointed look.

"We won't let that happen." Buffy said quietly, speaking for the first time since Castiel appeared.

"I do have faith in you and Dean, Buffy. And Dean, you will have more hard decisions to make in the coming months. I do not envy you the burden you will have to carry. But you have Buffy to see you through it." Castiel stood. "You two were destined. Trust in that, and each other."

"What do you mean destined?" Dean asked, but when he looked over, Castiel was gone.

"He does that a lot." Buffy complained.

Dean nodded. He looked over at her, her blond hair glowing in the sunlight. "Destined." Dean said thoughtfully. "I can deal with that."

Buffy's eyes locked with his and she basked in the love she saw there. "Me too."

Dean tugged her tightly against his side as they sat in comfortable silence, just watching the world around them. They knew things were going to get harder, but they'd enjoy the rare moments of peace they were granted.

…..

"Dean I didn't have a choice. He was going to kill us."

"I know." Dean said simply.

"So… what, you're not mad?" Sam asked, his expression puzzled.

"You're a grown man Sammy. You do whatever you need to do. You protected yourself. Why would I be mad about that?"

"Um… well okay."

They drove on in silence for a few minutes before Sam spoke again.

"Dean… can I ask you something?"

"What's on your mind?"

"Do you… do you remember hell?" Sam asked hesitantly, watching his older brother carefully.

Dean tensed. He'd admitted that he remembered to Buffy but Sam was a different story. Sam wouldn't let it go. He was like a dog with a bone when he wanted answers.

"No. I told you I didn't." Dean lied. "Why?"

"Just… um something Uriel said." Sam said.

"What the hell did he say?" Dean demanded, more than a little pissed that the grouchy angel had spoken about him to his brother.

"He told me I should ask you about it."

"Don't know why." Dean said tensely.

Sam didn't believe him for a second. He knew Dean well enough to know when he was lying. He also knew he wasn't going to get more out of his brother right now. Maybe Dean just didn't want to talk about it in front of Buffy?

"Alright." Sam said, letting it drop for now.

A few minutes later Dean pulled up at a gas station. He got out to fill up and Buffy went inside to grab some munchies.

Dean was climbing back into the Impala when Buffy came out of the store, a white styrofoam container in her hand and a grin on her face.

She walked around to the driver's side and handed Dean the box.

"What's this?" He asked, opening the box. A grin broke out on his face as he saw the slice of cherry pie. "You are awesome! Sam, get in the back."

Buffy giggled.

"Why?"

"Dude she bought me pie. She gets shot gun."

Sam rolled his eyes but laughed, climbing in the backseat.

Buffy sat in the front seat, smiling as she watched Dean practically inhale the slice of pie.

Buffy giggled.

"What?" Dean asked her.

"You have filling on your mouth." Buffy said pointing to corner of his lower lip.

"Get it off for me."

Buffy leaned forward, her tongue flicking out licking the cherry filling from his lip. Dean groaned softly and captured her lips in a hungry kiss.

After a moment they pulled away and Dean leaned in, whispering something in Buffy's ear that made her blush.

Sam sat in the back, doing his best to ignore them.

Dean started up the car and drove away from the gas station. He turned on the radio and smirked as ACDC's Shook Me All Night Long blared out of the speakers.

Buffy smirked right back at him and flipped her hair over her shoulder and started singing along.

It was moments like these that he remembered exactly why she was The One, why he'd asked her to marry him all those years ago. She was amazing. She could carry the weight of the world on her shoulders one minute, and the next minute she could be worrying about her hair. She'd been through so much, but she never let it taint her. She was a helluva woman, and she was his.

…

Okay, sorry about the long wait. Broken computer and all that. Up next is I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Reviews inspire!


	8. Chapter 7

My Soul Dreams

Chapter 7

AN: M'kay, I skipped Wishing Well. So moving right along to 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'. Btw, I hate Anna. Just so ya know.

…..

"One more round. I have a feeling my luck might change. What do ya say boys?" Buffy asked flirtaciously, her voice slightly slurred.

"Why not, pretty lady? Let's rack em' up." A dark haired man said.

Dean watched from across the bar as Buffy hustled a group of guys. She played as well as he and Sam and the fact that she was hot as hell never worked against her, so it was way easier for her to make money at the pool tables than them. And she was damn good at it.

Dean smirked as ten minutes later a large blond man handed over a wad of cash. It had to be at least 500 bucks, but the man didn't look too upset about it. Of course that might have had something to do with the fact that he'd been staring down Buffy's shirt for the past hour. Men seemed to get a lot less pissy about losing their shirt if they had something nice to look at. Whatever, they could look if they wanted while his girl was taking their money, but if they ever tried to touch, Dean had a .45 on him that'd have something to say about that.

"Tell Buffy to wrap it up." Sam said shortly, and walked to the other side of the bar.

"What the hell? Why? She's on a roll."

Sam ignored his and walked over to a woman on the other side of the room. Ruby.

"Son. Of. A. Bitch." Dean growled. He made his way over to the pool table where Buffy was. He walked up behind her as she was bent over to take a shot and smacked her ass. "Say goodnight babe."

"Goodnight babe." Buffy replied mockingly.

"Ruby's here." Dean said lowly.

Buffy's eyes narrowed and she adjusted her pool cue, lining up a different shot and sunk the 8 ball. "Sorry boys, have to wrap this up."

The men groaned and dropped their money onto the table. Buffy picked it up with a smirk and followed Dean over to where Sam was.

"The fuck do you want, demon bitch?" Buffy snapped, hopping up onto a stool opposite Ruby.

"Nice to see you again, Slayer." Ruby said with a knowing smile.

Buffy shrugged. "So you figured it out. Am I supposed to be impressed or something? Cause honestly, I mostly just wanna rip your throat out and run you through with Dean's pretty blade." Buffy said smiling sweetly.

Ruby rolled her eyes and looked at Dean. "She's as charming as you are. You two morons were made for each other."

"Only moron here is you, bitch. If you had half a brain you'd be smart enough to stay the hell away." Dean said coldly.

"What are you doing here Ruby?" Sam asked, hoping to end the verbal sparring match.

"I have some info."

"What is it?"

"I've been hearing whispers." The demon said.

"Ooh great! Demon whispers. That's reliable." Dean bit out, his words dripping with scarcasm, his anger evident.

"A girl named Anna Milton escaped from a locked ward yesterday. Demons seem pretty keen on finding her. Apparently some real heavy hitters turned out for the Easter egg hunt. "

"Why, who is she?" Sam asked.

"No idea. But I'm thinking that she's important," Ruby replied. "Cause the order's to capture her alive. I just figure that whatever the deal is, you may want to find this girl before the demons do."

Buffy scoffed. "Show of hands, who thinks this is a trap?"

Buffy and Dean raised their hands.

"Look, maybe we should check it out." Sam said.

Buffy looked at Dean. "Is this a younger sibling thing? Falling into obvious traps? Like in those cartoons 'Oh look a yummy sandwich… that just happens to be placed under an anvil. La la la, going to go eat the yummy sandwich.' And the next thing you know _SPLAT_!" She looked at Sam. "I don't feel like going splat today, Sam."

Dean chuckled. "Besides, we're working a case. But thanks anyway."

"What case?" Ruby asked dubiously.

"Uh, we've got leads." Dean said.

"Big leads." Buffy agreed.

"Sounds dangerous." Ruby said sarcastically.

"Yeah well it sure ain't goose-chasing after some chick who for all we know doesn't even exist, just because you say she's important." Dean snapped.

"I'm just delivering the news. You can do whatever you want with it." Ruby said, rolling her eyes. "Far as I'm concerned, I told you, I'm done." She stood up from her seat at the bar and turned to leave.

Sam grabbed her arm. "Wait wait wait, this hospital Anna escaped from? Got a name?"

…

"I am _not _loving this plan." Dean muttered as he shrugged on his suit jacket.

"Yeah well, what Ruby said checks out. Might as well find out what's going on." Buffy said as she tied his tie.

"If I get killed because this was a set up… I am _so_ gonna haunt his ass!"

"I don't see how that'd be possible, ya know since chances are I'd be dead too." Sam said from the bathroom.

"Then I'll settle for kicking your ghosty ass." Dean shot back.

"Let's just go find out about Anna Milton and why the demons want her."

"What are you gonna do?" Dean asked Buffy.

"I'm gonna look around, get a feel for the area, see if I hear anything. And I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of Ruby. Maybe I'll get lucky." Buffy said with a grin, holding up the demon killing blade.

Sam sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Can we go?"

"Yeah yeah." Dean pecked Buffy on the lips. "I'll call you if we find out anything. Or ya know, get ambushed."

…..

Buffy met the brothers outside of the church they had seen in the picture. Dean handed her a gun and they went inside.

"Dean." Sam whispered and gestured to the silhouette of a girl behind a pane of stained glass. He put his gun away and she and Dean did the same.

"Anna? We're not gonna hurt you, we're here to help. My name is Sam, this is my brother, Dean and his girlfriend Buffy."

"Not Sam Winchester?" The girl asked.

"Uh, yeah." Sam confirms, exchanging a look with Dean.

"And you're Dean. The Dean?" Anna said with awe.

"Well, yeah. The Dean, I guess." Dean said smiling slightly. Sam and Buffy rolled their eyes.

"Buffy… are you Buffy Summers? Well of course, you'd have to be. It can't just be a coincidence your with them." Anna babbled. "You're not supposed to be here."

Buffy frowned. "What?"

"I'm sorry I don't mean it that way. I mean you were with the angels and now you're not. That wasn't supposed to happen. But they think you can help so they're leaving you down here. I don't know if that's good or bad."

"It's of the good." Buffy said. "But how do you know all this?"

"The angels talk about you." She looked at Dean again. "You were in Hell, but Castiel pulled you out, and some of them think you can help save us." She looked at Sam. "And… some of them don't like you at all. They only started talking about you, Buffy, recently. They talk about you three all the time lately. I feel like I know you."

"So you talk to angels?" Dean asked.

"Uh, no, no way. Um, they probably don't even know I exist. I just kind of… overhear them." Anna explained.

"Overhear them?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, they talk, and sometimes I just hear them in my head."

"Do you hear them right now?" Buffy asked.

"Not right this second. But a lot. And I can't shut them out, there's so many of them."

"Yeah I can relate. Hearing people in your head isn't what I'd call fun." Buffy said, frowning at the memory of when she could hear thoughts.

"Have I heard that story?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow at his girlfriend.

"Yuh huh."

"Okay." Dean turned his attention back to Anna. "So they lock you up with a case of the crazies, when really you're just tuned into angel radio." Dean said.

She nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

"Anna, when did the voices start? Do you remember?" Sam asked.

"September 18th." Anna said firmly.

"The day I got out of hell." Dean said.

"The first words I heard, clear as a bell, 'Dean Winchester is saved'."

Buffy, Dean, and Sam exchanged shocked looks.

Dean looked at Sam. "What do you think?"

"This is above my paygrade, man." Sam said with a shake of his head.

"Any ideas?" He asked Buffy.

"Not a clue. I mean I could hear the angels when I was dead but that was because I was up there. This doesn't exactly make a whole lots of sense. And I apparently speak angel." Buffy said.

"Yeah so if it was something being broadcasted you'd pick it up too." Dean said, confused.

Buffy nodded.

Dean looked at Anna. "Well at least now we know why the demons want you so bad. They get a hold of you, they can hear everything the other side's cooking."

Buffy's head snapped up suddenly. "Dean, we got a demon coming in fast." Buffy said urgently.

Dean drew his gun and pointed it at the door. A moment later Ruby ran in.

"You got the girl? Good, let's go."

"Her face!" Anna screamed in horror.

"No, no it's okay. She's here to help." Sam said quickly.

"Don't be so sure." Dean muttered.

"Dean… Ruby's not what I'm sensing. Something's coming." Buffy said seriously.

"There _is_ something coming. That's why we have to go now. We can fight later Dean!" Ruby insisted.

"Well that's pretty convenient! Showing up right when we find the girl with some big-wig on your tail?" Dean argued.

"I didn't bring him here, you did. He followed you from the girl's house, we gotta go now!"

"Dean." Sam said, pointing to the statue of the Virgin Mary now crying blood.

"He's here." Buffy told them, the tingling in her gut intensifying tenfold. "Hide Anna."

Sam grabbed Anna and led her into a closet. "Stay in here. Don't move."

She nodded, closing the closet door.

Sam came back out and pulled out a flask of holy water.

"No Sam. You have to pull that demon right away. We don't have time for that!" Ruby insisted.

"Woah hold on a sec." Dean said.

"Now is not the time to bellyache about Sam going darkside, okay? Either he exorcises that demon or we die."

"We'll see about that." Buffy said, twirling Dean's knife in her hand.

"Are you really willing to risk them?" Ruby asked Buffy.

Buffy faltered for a moment, looking at Dean. When Dean said nothing Sam stepped forward.

A moment later the door burst open and a demonic presence filled the room that was so strong, Buffy felt like she was choking on it.

"Sam… this might not be such a good idea." Buffy said quietly.

Sam stretched out his hand and tried to exorcise the demon. The demon's eyes went white and he coughed.

"That tickles." He said with a smirk. "You don't have the juice to take me on, Sam."

Suddenly Sam was thrown across the room and down the stairs and the fight was on.

…

"Ready? On three. One…" _Crack!_

"GAH! I knew you were gonna do that." Dean groaned as Buffy popped his shoulder back in place. "You almost done over there, Sam?"

"Going as fast as I can." Sam muttered through clenched teeth as he stitched up the large gash on his arm.

"We need to stitch up that gash on your back." Dean said, eyeing the large bloodstained area on her shirt.

"Slayer, Dean. I'll be fine." Buffy said.

"Humor me." Dean took a swig from a wine bottle then tossed it to Sam. "So one of you wanna tell me how we lost the magic knife?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Oh I don't know. I think it happened somewhere between me getting thrown into a pillar and Sam saving your ass."

Dean sighed. "We gotta find Anna."

"Ruby's got her. I'm sure she's okay."

Dean and Buffy exchanged a look.

"What?"

"Why do you trust her so much?" Dean asked Sam seriously.

"Um… I'm gonna go find a vending machine." Buffy said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Buffy that's not a great idea. That demon could still be watching us." Sam pointed out.

"If he steps foot in the building, believe me, I'll know." Buffy said firmly, and left the room.

…..

"What she said to me, it's what you would have said." Sam said.

Dean looked at him, trying to understand, trying to come to grips with what that demon had done for his brother.

Suddenly Buffy burst into the room, pulling a maid behind her by her hair, looking pissed.

"Sorry to break up the brotherly bonding, but look who I found hiding in a maid." Buffy ground out, tossing the woman to the floor.

"God, take a Midol, bitch."

"Not smart to piss off a Slayer, Ruby. I'll have fun teaching you that the hard way. Now where's Anna?" Buffy demanded.

"Wait, Ruby?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Yeah, okay so I'm possessing this maid for a hot minute. Sue me." She handed Sam a piece of paper. "I'm at this address. Go now. Go through the bathroom window. Don't stop, don't take your car. Do not pass go. There are demons in the hall way, or there were before Buffy took them out, and there are demons in the parking lot."

"What about..?"

"Coma girl? Slowly rotting on the floor back at the cabin with Anna, so I gotta hurry. This would have been easier if blondie over there hadn't insisted on dragging me here by my hair. But anyway, hurry." And Ruby left the room.

Buffy, Dean, and Sam were left confused and slightly disturbed.

…

"Glad you could make it." Ruby said dryly.

"Yeah, thanks." Sam said as he, Dean, and Buffy entered the cabin. "Anna, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. Ruby's not like other demons. She saved my life." Anna said with a smile.

"Yeah I hear she does that." Dean said.

Buffy gave him an odd look. Whatever 'life-saving' crap Ruby was selling, the Slayer wasn't buying. What Dean said next however had Buffy reaching for the holy water.

"I guess I uh…ya know."

Ruby looked at him. "What?"

"I guess.. I owe you, for Sam. And I just wanted…um ya know?" Dean muttered, uncomfortably.

"Don't strain yourself." Ruby said flatly.

"Okay then, is the moment over? Good cause that was awkward." He looked at Buffy and saw the flak of holy water in her hand. "I'm not possessed! I just… learned some things. Alright?"

Buffy looked at him carefully for a moment before putting the holy water back in her pocket. "Whatever. That was weird."

"You're tellin me."

"Hey Sam, do you think it'd be safe to make a quick call? Just to tell my parents I'm okay. They must be completely freaked."

"Um…" Sam hesistated.

"What?"

Sam sighed and took a seat next to her. "Anna, your parents…"

"What about them?" Anna asked, dread showing clear on her face.

"I'm sorry Anna."

"No! They're not…"

"I'm sorry."

Anna sobbed brokenly, her head in her hands. "Why is this happening to me?"

"I don't know." Sam said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Suddenly her head snapped up. "They're coming." She whispered.

They looked around as the lights began to flicker.

"Back room!" Dean said.

Sam took Anna to the back room while Dean grabbed guns. He tossed one to Buffy and then Sam when he came back out. Ruby rummaged through the weapons bag and looked up.

"Where's the knife?"

Dean looked at Sam. "Uh… about that…"

"You're kidding!"

"Hey don't look at me."

Sam shot Dean a look. "Thanks a lot."

Dean just grinned.

"Great. Just peachy. Impeccable timing guys, really!"

"Um… guys. Something's wrong." Buffy said, looking around the room as if she was searching for something.

Dean's eyes shot to her, worriedly. "What is it?"

"The only demon I sense is Ruby. This is something else."

Before Dean could reply, a rushing noise came from the back door. Suddenly the door flew open.

"Not a demon!" Buffy shouted.

A second later Castiel and Uriel appeared.

"Well I called that one." Buffy said, the feeling of dread in her gut not dissipating. Something wasn't right.

"Please tell me you're here to help. We've been having demon issues all day." Dean said.

Uriel scoffed. "I can see that. Would you like to explain why you have that stain in the room?" Uriel fixed his gaze on Buffy. "I'm disappointed in you Miss Summers. But I suppose you'd follow this one anywhere." He said, nodding his head at Dean.

"Even into hell had anyone bothered to tell me he was there." Buffy said coolly.

"We're here for Anna." Castiel said.

Dean looked slightly confused and more than a bit wary. "Here for her like… here for her?"

"Stop talking." Uriel snapped. "Give her to us."

"Are you gonna help her?" Sam asked, though he had a sinking feeling he already knew the answer.

"No." Castiel said. "She has to die."

…

Alrighty, sorry for the wait people. Broken computer and all that. Next up 'Heaven and Hell'. Let me be honest, I sooooo don't wanna write that episode. Because I HATE Anna. And the whole sex with Dean thing is just a little more than I can stand, and write the episode means watching the episode. Not a happy camper. I'm not promising I'm not going to rage-quit half way through. If I do though, I'll make up something that half explains what happens and makes it very very clear that Dean in no way, shape or form screws Anna.


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